Passion…unbridled

Many of us into the trap of performative busyness get caught

Even when we are not actually working, we pretend we are working a lot

It is imperative to be seen as working, so we strive

To make our work visible, trying to survive

In a competitive world where the optics happen to be

As important as actual productivity

So we take a “working lunch”, leave the workplace late

Keep multiple tabs on multiple devices open to illustrate

Just how busy we are, juggling many tasks simultaneously

Our work becomes performative, for the audience to see

*

The more performative work becomes, the more our productivity declines

Because getting actual work done requires focusing our mind

On the tasks at hand, tackling them one by one

Engaging in this productivity theater does not let work get done

*

To be mindful of performative work, I have recently tried

I am more focused on real work, and I feel satisfied

With my work day when I leave work on time

I am learning not to let others’ perception my worth determine

She walked in for her performance review meeting with apprehension

To highlight her achievements over the past year was her intention

She had come well-prepared, she was going to stay

Calm and confident throughout, this meeting she was going to slay

And finally ask for the promotion she knew she deserved

She thought she could get it as long as her composure she could preserve

*

On a positive note the performance review did begin

Her hopes were raised- she thought this time she would win

But soon it morphed in to criticism thinly-veiled

And she realized that once again she had failed

To move ahead in her career, land a promotion coveted

She had thought working hard would be enough, now her naïveté she regretted

*

This is the story of many women in the workplace

Where barriers to professional advancement they face

Throughout their professional lives as workhorses they are perceived

They are viewed as reliable, but are unable to achieve

Leadership positions despite doing everything they think is right

Because- for visibility and exposure they do not fight

They work hard, even smart, but in the shadows stay

Self-promotion is a trait they rarely display

Good mentors they often do not find

Their value to the organization remains ill-defined..

*

Women need more role models at the workplace

To guide them through the various roadblocks they could face

Especially when vying for leadership positions-

Women too deserve to realize their ambitions

Is it normal aging or premature senility

But I mourn my increasing inability

To read with focus and concentration

There has been a noticeable degradation

In my ability to pay attention to detail

To grasp minutiae I seem to fail

To my memory I can commit even less

Trying to recall what I’ve read leads to greater distress

*

My reading speed has taken a nosedive

Nevertheless to read everyday I strive

Still less information makes it into my brain

How can I my lost abilities regain?

*

Of course I need to put my phone away

So that I keep distractions at bay

But I am juggling multiple responsibilities simultaneously

And an escape from them I cannot see

*

I guess it would help if instead of lamenting here

I went back to the article I was reading, and tried to adhere

To reading, and not let my mind wander everywhere

I can probably still concentrate if I am well-prepared…

Make a reverse bucket list, new Happiness Research suggests

To augment your index of happiness-

Make a list of everything you wanted to accomplish and have already achieved

Your life through a lens of gratitude this exercise allows you to perceive

Creating a bucket list is towards the future oriented

By focusing on what you still need to achieve, it can make you discontented

It gives you a sense of urgency, of time running out

And provokes anxiety that you would rather do without

Whereas a reverse bucket list enumerates all that you have gained

Allowing you to feel hopeful about the future again..

*

A bucket list celebrates hustle culture and unbridled ambition

A reverse bucket list, on the other hand, gives you permission

To pause and reflect, to acknowledge your life’s journey

For happiness, a reverse bucket list is a better recipe

*

My bucket list runs long, and appears over-ambitious even to me

But creating a reverse bucket list has given me the clarity

To pursue some goals on my bucket list and leave others behind

This exercise has been beneficial for my overthinking mind..

*

So create your bucket list, but also a reverse list create

Look forward to new goalposts, old achievements celebrate

If great art is something that AI can generate

What about art that human beings create?

Should art created by artists carry a seal

Such as “Verified Human Content” to reveal

That a piece of art is authentically created

By a real person, and not by a machine generated..

Or should artists create their art in public eye

Instead of in a solitary studio, so that no one can deny

That a real person has created the artwork before you

It carries a piece of the artist’s soul too

*

Throughout millennia artists have strived

To perfect their art, but in order to thrive

In the age of AI-generated art, one way to leave a human impression

Is by leaving in the artwork minor imperfections..

*

Even if we are gullible enough to mistake

AI-generated art for real instead of fake

The creative process shall always

remain

Solely within humanity’s domain

Therefore in a world overrun by AI-generated content

To continue creating art, one brushstroke at a time, is my intent

I browse through shelves of books and select

As many as I can, excited at the prospect

Of having new books to read, at the circulation desk I check them out

Curious to explore what each one is about

I want to start reading immediately- there are so many to get through

In fact, waiting until I get home is something I’m reluctant to do

So I pick up the shortest book and start reading in the parking lot

In a rush to get home after a visit to the library I am not

*

I read a few pages until I realize

Reading in a parked car is neither comfortable nor wise

Reluctantly I put my book down, ready to drive back

Simultaneously realizing that of time, I’ve lost track..

*

Life comes in the way of reading, there are never-ending chores

I prioritize reading, but wish I could read more

Picking up a new book to read gives me anticipatory pleasure

Therefore libraries and bookstores are places I shall always treasure

I browse through shelves of books and select

As many as I can, excited at the prospect

Of having new books to read, at the circulation desk I check them out

Curious to explore what each one is about

I want to start reading immediately- there are so many to get through

In fact, waiting until I get home is something I’m reluctant to do

So I pick up the shortest book and start reading in the parking lot

In a rush to get home after a visit to the library I am not

*

I read a few pages until I realize

Reading in a parked car is neither comfortable nor wise

Reluctantly I put my book down, ready to drive back

Simultaneously realizing that of time, I’ve lost track..

*

Life comes in the way of reading, there are never-ending chores

I prioritize reading, but wish I could read more

Picking up a new book to read gives me anticipatory pleasure

Therefore libraries and bookstores are places I shall always treasure

A thought-provoking proposition I read

Leave something unfinished today, it said

This went counter to what I had learnt since childhood

I was always taught that I should

Complete pending tasks before tucking in for the night

Leaving things to do for the next day did not seem right..

*

“ When does completion become excess?”

This was even more intriguing, I confess

Could insertion of an extra word, or an extra brushstroke take something away

From what could be a potential masterpiece someday?

*

So I left some projects incomplete for the next day

I went back to some, abandoned others anyway

Since I was used to dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s diligently

Leaving unfinished business was a leap of faith for me..

*

Leaving things incomplete unnerving appeared

That I had lost control over a part of my life, I feared

May be that is why it was important to embrace

The concept of leaving things unfinished, to create space

For reflection and addition of ideas new

Leaving things incomplete from time to time is what I now do

You feel like you lost yourself somewhere

Along life’s path, you are unaware

Of the direction in which your true self you would find

But finding yourself is a priority in your mind..

*

What exactly did you lose, are you able to explain?

Was it your talent, a fleeting idea of who you were, a role that you want to regain

Did you misplace a real, tangible part of you

Or are you chasing a fantasy version that was never true?

*

Perhaps you have not lost yourself anywhere

You believe you should’ve been someone else, but are you aware

That you are exactly where you are meant to be

You are on your unique path, to fulfill your destiny

(I read a story about an initiative, called Feds to Eds where people no longer working for the federal government are being recruited to fill crucial teacher shortages, by providing them teacher’s training and mentorship on the job. I found the story, especially uplifting.)

To teach is one of the noblest things to do

Being a teacher can be incredibly rewarding too..

*

Though she had held teaching as a vocation in high esteem

To be a teacher had not been her dream

She trained as a scientist and was elated to secure

A position with the government which she thought would ensure

A steady paycheck and job stability

Where she could perform to the best of her ability

*

Unfortunately layoffs are a fact of professional life everywhere

The conditions under which she was hired were no longer there

Instead of facing the threat of being fired

She decided it was better to leave, and try to get hired

In a different, non-governmental organization

Joining the ranks of many in her situation

*

While looking for a suitable position she found an avenue

That required her to consider a path completely new-

There was a program to funnel job-seekers suitably qualified

Towards teaching- she realized her degree could be applied

To teaching high school students, she did need to obtain

Formal training in teaching, which she was enthusiastic about

It was the right path for her, this she did not doubt

*

She learnt in her second innings how hard it can be

To teach impressionable minds effectively

She is grateful for this chance to educate young minds

The first door closed, but the right door open she could find

I read voraciously, and I try to read

Books dealing with serious subjects, indeed

I want to be well-informed, appear erudite

Therefore many a times boredom I fight

While reading books on subjects that are difficult to comprehend

I power through all kinds of books until I reach the end

*

Once in a while a feel-good romance I choose

I do feel guilty, I fear precious time I would lose

In reading a book that “intellectual” merit does not possess

But such books are the most engrossing ones to read, I confess

I laugh and cry with the protagonists, feel their pain

I ride the emotional roller-coaster until their lives get back on track again

Such books leave me with a pleasant aftertaste

As I replay the story in my mind- surely reading the book is not a waste

Of my precious time- the warmth of a love story lingers for a while

Reading a love story is productive if it leaves me with a smile

Burnout is an epidemic for physicians – the headline screamed at me

What was considered an individual flaw had now become a rampant malady?

I wondered how that had happened, and how the issue had blown

To reach epidemic proportions- clearly I was not alone

In feeling burnt out with increasing frequency

But I had thought it was my inadequacy

To deal with the changing landscape in healthcare

That it was being measured and discussed, I had not been aware

*

It has been a while since I encountered that headline

I read extensively on how burnout was defined

And what I could change to reduce feelings of burnout

I implemented some of them, but I’m still in doubt

Whether burnout can at an individual level be addressed

Its systemic causes need to be identified and addressed

*

Before I knew the statistics on physician burnout

I had been embarrassed to even think about

Cutting down my workload or even quitting medicine some day

From a profession that was my identity, how could I walk away?

But reading that article was like getting validation

For my experience, to know there were others in my situation

Gave me a sense of community, though I reached out to no one

And also gave me hope that something at a system-wide level would be done

To address this epidemic spreading fast

I hope there shall be changes that last